Consumption of utilities such as water, gas, and electricity, is often measured using utility meters. Utility meters often have a sweep hand, the revolution of which represents consumption of a particular unit of utilities. Additional counters or wheels are incremented by the sweep of the sweep hand, and the total consumption as measured by the meter is typically available at almost any time to one with knowledge as to how the meter is read. To that end, utility companies often employ utility meter readers who periodically travel to the service location to read the utility meter associated with a utility service at the service location. Often, the meters are located within the service location, so a meter reader needs access, in some cases, to the premises to read the meter. For various reasons, such access is sometimes difficult, dangerous, or at best, time consuming and inefficient.
Remote meter reading systems have been developed to address some of these problems. Remote meter reading systems allow remote monitoring of utility meters, thereby obviating the need for meter readers to access service location premises. Unfortunately many remote meter reading systems require replacement of a conventional meter reader with a remotely monitored meter reader, for example, a meter with built-in wireless networking capability. A meter reader travels proximate to the remote meters, and a meter reader connects to the meter and downloads or otherwise receives data indicating the utility usage. Additionally, replacement of the old utility meter equipment is expensive and, sometimes, unpredictable as the meter design can vary with age and varied replacement designs may be required to retrofit such meters.